Digital List Price:	$10.24
Kindle Price:	$7.56 Save $2.68 (26%)
	includes VAT*

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Share <Embed>

Flip to back Flip to front

Audible Narration Playing... Paused You are listening to a sample of the Audible narration for this Kindle book.
Learn more

The Chinese Labour Corps: China Penguin Specials Kindle Edition

by Mark O'Neill (Author)

3 customer reviews

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle, March 3, 2014

"Please retry"

$7.56

—

Kindle
$7.56 Read with Our Free App

As the young men of Europe were fighting in the trenches, a little known contingent of Chinese labourers crossed the world to provide support vital to the Allied war effort. Largely illiterate farmers from northern China, these men were simply attempting to make a better life for themselves, ignorant of the war and its causes. Under brutal conditions many died for their efforts, and their involvement wasn't recognised for decades - it is still not widely known. In this fascinating First World War China Special, journalist Mark O'Neill brings their story to light, describing in detail the labourers' recruitment, their daily experiences in a foreign land and the horrific work they carrier out - including the clearing of remains from battlefields.

Length: 122 pages

Word Wise: Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Jonathan Fenby

3

Kindle Edition
$7.56
Paul French

1

Kindle Edition
$3.19
Robert Bickers
Kindle Edition
$3.19
Mark O'Neill
Kindle Edition
$3.19
Wood Frances
Kindle Edition
$3.19
Anne Witchard
Kindle Edition
$3.19

Product Details

File Size: 3582 KB
Print Length: 122 pages
Publisher: e-penguin (March 3, 2014)
Publication Date: March 3, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00IXADC90
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,354 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #3635 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Asia
- #3839 in Books > History > Military > World War I
- #4477 in Books > History > Asia > China

Would you like to give feedback on images or tell us about a lower price?

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars

5 star		100%
4 star		0%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		0%

See all 3 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Top Customer Reviews

A different perspective of the Great War

By R. DelParto VINE VOICE on September 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

Within the history of the First World War, one may ask, did Asia play a part in the war effort? Before one can answer that question, other questions arise to where to begin to retell that part of history. Journalist Mark O’Neill re-examines the role that China played to assist during the war that involved collaboration from Britain and France and the formation of the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC) in 1916. Written with much detail The Chinese Labour Corps: The Forgotten Chinese Labourers of the First World War provides a concise history and examination of the major factors that contributed to China sending labourers first to battlefields to assist with allied efforts and after to war torn regions in France to rebuild. Based on research and accounts from Daryl Klein’s Notes on Chinese Labour August 1918 and Brian Fawcett’s Chinese Labour Corps in France 1917-1921, O’Neill surveys and retells this essential part of the war effort, especially the major political factors that motivated China’s Yuan Shikai’s senior adviser Liang Shiyi to be responsible for sending thousands of labourers to Europe.

The book is a part of Penguin’s e-book special China series commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I. With over 80 pages, this part of the war experience that has been overlooked for so many years is retold that provides an understanding of Chinese labourers that were shipped from Qingdao, China to camp sites in France, Noyelles-sur-Mer, a commune in the Somme department of Picardy in Northern France, which served headquarters to the British CLC, and Etaples and Belgium.Read more ›

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

Fascinating

By John Ross on June 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

The book is an interesting cul-de-sac of forgotten Chinese and First World War history written by an Old China Hand who has lived in and written about Asia for decades. O'Neill's grandfather was a missionary in Manchuria who was involved with the Chinese Labour Corps so the story is a personal one for him.

I enjoyed the entire book but my favourite parts were the unexpected tangents to the main story: the secret passage of coolies through Canada, the contact between Chinese intellectuals and coolies in Europe, and especially the stories of the men who stayed on in France after the conflict.

My only quibbles are - as with other books in this series - that there are no maps and that large numbers are rendered comma-less (i.e. 50 000 instead of 50,000), but these are relatively minor personal peeves.

Bottom line - this is by far the best book available on the subject, a poignant and multi-faceted read.

John Ross (Camphor Press)

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

A First World War book with a difference

By Eric Wishart on May 10, 2014

A First World War centennial book with a difference - journalist and author Mark O'Neill reveals the forgotten story of the thousands of Chinese laborers who endured physical hardships and racial discrimination to join the Allied war effort in 1916.
O'Neill describes their nightmare land and sea journey to France via Canada, and their experiences as they became caught up in a brutal conflict far from the tranquillity of their homes in rural China.
At once a personal account of their lives, and sometimes their loves, the book also describes how the labourers became
part of a geopolitical game between the Chinese, British, French, Americans and Japanese, which led to the Versailles peace conference in 1919 and the Chinese army joining the Allied victory parade in London that year.
It also reveals how the French were much more sympathetic than the British to the labourers, and gave them the option of staying behind after the war. Those who did were the forerunners of today's large Chinese community in France.
Hong Kong-based O'Neill, whose grandfather was a missionary in Manchuria, approaches his heavy subject with a light touch, and weighing in at just 80 pages, it keeps up a good pace throughout.

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

See all 3 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Forums

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more

This item: The Chinese Labour Corps: China Penguin Specials

Set up a giveaway